I just watched the new trailer on the site and Human Revolution looks bad ass! But I am not even a little bit familiar with the other Deus Ex games. Do any of you who have played previous games know if I should go back and play them, or is this the type of thing I could get out of a wiki? And if I should play them, do they hold up?

I just watched the new trailer on the site and Human Revolution looks bad ass! But I am not even a little bit familiar with the other Deus Ex games. Do any of you who have played previous games know if I should go back and play them, or is this the type of thing I could get out of a wiki? And if I should play them, do they hold up?

Play the first game. I still had fun with it when I re-played it a few months ago. Just know that the first couple hours can be a bit of a drag, but the game really opens up after that. 
 
Forget about Invisible War. It's a fine game, but nothing that stands out as particularly great or exciting.

I believe Deus Ex: Human Revolution will take place years before the other games, so it probably isn't necessary.

The graphics are pretty bad by today's standards, but it's a really good game.

If you have the time I would definitely go back and at least check out the first game.  Depending on how you like that invisible war might pique your interests.

As a person who was in the same exact position as you, and bought Deus Ex during a Steam sale, I had a really, really hard time getting into it.  I only finished like the first 2 levels.

" As a person who was in the same exact position as you, and bought Deus Ex during a Steam sale, I had a really, really hard time getting into it.  I only finished like the first 2 levels. "

If you can get passed the super aged graphics and slightly aged gameplay, YES.

I would never advise somebody not to play Deus Ex (the first one), but Human Revolution is set before it, so don't feel obliged to play it just to understand what is going on in the new one.
 
I have a hunch Human Revolution's storyline will probably carry more weight for you if you have a connection with JC Denton (your character in Deus Ex), but I don't expect it to be a deal breaker.

" The graphics are pretty bad by today's standards, but it's a really good game. "

I love the first one, but if I were you, just wait for Human Revolution. Hell, don't even read shit, they'll fill you in. As others have said, the original holds up when you dive deep into the story and the many ways you can play the game.

" @SpiralStairs said:

" The graphics are pretty bad by today's standards, but it's a really good game. "

There are mods that can help with that.  "